ECONOMIC CRITERIA TO ASSURE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF BALANCED DEVELOPMENT OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE-TERRITORIAL UNITS OF UKRAINE

Abstract

The article specifies the importance of economic criteria in ensuring the balanced development of the administrative-territorial units of Ukraine. The author focuses on a detailed analysis of four sub-groups of economic criteria. In the first subgroup, the impact of the gross regional product on the implementation of balanced socio-economic development of the corresponding administrative-territorial units is analyzed, and the coefficient of the equilibrium level on this indicator is calculated. In the second subgroup, the author concentrates on the production potential of the administrative-territorial units. Based on the analysis of the composition and structure of economic entities combined with their production volumes, the paper has determined the importance of enterprises and individual entrepreneurs in the development of administrative-territorial units, and in the realization within their borders of industrial, agricultural production and construction works. Following from all these indicators, the coefficient of production capacity was calculated. The third subgroup of economic criteria characterizes the entrepreneurial environment of the administrative-territorial units. The author has proved the significant role of the business environment in non-industrial administrative-territorial units. Within the scope of the forth subgroup of economic criteria, the author analyzes foreign trade. Thus, the paper has elaborated on the detailed characteristics of its dynamics and composition, moreover financial gaps and the coefficients of equilibrium have been calculated. The result of the study lies in the calculation of the coefficients of equilibrium across all four sub-groups of economic criteria, based on which the existence of significant imbalances in the socio-economic development of administrative-territorial units has been determined. Furthermore, the author has discovered the leadership position of Kyiv for all sub-groups of economic criteria. In relation to other administrative-territorial units, depending on a subgroup of criteria there is the range of different administrative-territorial units, which occupy leading positions. That is why the author stated that while developing the Regional Development Strategy, it is necessary to consider all these subgroups of criteria and their impact on ensuring their balanced development.